Rail-stay.



J. M. VAIL.

RAIL STAY.

APPLICATION PILED s312120. 191s.

Patented Ma1131, 1914.

JOSEPH M. VAIL, OF BRYAN, OHIO.

RAIL-STAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 20, 1913.

Patented Mar. 31,1914. serial No. 790,872.

To all echo/n. 'it may concern Be it known that I, Josnrr-r M. Van., a citizen of the United States, and a resident ,l of Bryan, in the county of Tilliams and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Rail-Stay; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to devices for use in connection with railway rails and supporting ties therefor to prevent relative creeping movements of the same 1n one d1- rection, but is not restricted to such use as it may be used in an)7 connection for which it may be adapted or appropriate.

The object of my invention is the provr' sion of an improved device of this character which is simple and inexpensive in its construction, and capable of being easily and quickly applied to a rail base, and which is operable to firmly clamp the rail upon a relative creeping movement in one direction of the rail and an associated tie, whereby to enhance the practicabilit-y and commercial value of devices of this class.

The invention is fully described in the following speciication, and while, in its broader aspect, it is capable of embodiment in numerous forms, a preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,-

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device embodying the invention, separate from a rail, and Figs. 2 and 3 are bottom and top plan views thereof respectively in engagement with a rail base and an associated tie.

Referring to the drawings, l designates a railway tie, and 2 a rail supported thereby. The device embodying the invention comprises two separable members, one of which, for convenience, may be termed the rail-base clamping member and the other the thrustmember, which latter is intended to have a part thereof in contact with a side of a tie and to eoact with the clamping member to impart a rail-base clamping action thereto when the rail and tieha-ve predetermined relative creeping movements.

The clamping-member of the device, in the present instance, comprises a bar 3,

which is intended to extend in a diagonal manner under a rail-base, and has one end provided with a head 4 having a slot or recess 5 in the inner side thereof for receivmg one edge of a rail base, and has its other end provided with an 11p-standing part 6. The part 6 is preferably provided at its inner side with a sharp rail-base gripping edge 7, and has a vertically-disposed side 8 faeing the tie with which the device is intended to eoact and adapted to cooperate with a side edge of the rail base to form a V-shaped opening. The groove or recess 5 in the inner side of the head 4 has its upper and lower walls disposed in divergent relation to grad-V ually broaden the recess outwardly from itsV base, whereby the head will have a firm gripping action with an edge portion of a rail base projecting into said recess. The clamping head 4 is also provided with a hooked finger 9, which projects from the side there of opposed to the tie with which the device is intended to coact.

The thrust member of the device comprises,'in the present instance, a block or head 10 for extending lengthwise of a rail and having its outer end adapted to abut against a side of a tie 1 and its inner end beveled or tapered, as at 11, in complemental relation to the tapered side 8 of the part 6 and adapted to bear .against the part 6 when the members of the device are in assembled relation. The head 10 is intended to bear against one side edge of a rail base in opposition to the head 4, being suitably recessed as at l2, for such purpose, and has a spring arm 13 extending from the inner side thereof below its rail gripping surface and over the bar 3 with its outer or free end in hooked engagement with the hook 9 of the head 4, as shown in the drawing. The arm 13 is intended to extend under a rail-base over the bar 3, and is preferably formed with one or more spring loops 14 to enable it to be longitudinally extended or lengthened relative to the head 10 when tensile stress is applied thereto. The arm 13 when in its normal contracted position has its free end terminating short of the hook 9 so as to require a tensile pull to be applied to the free end portion of such arm to place it in hooked engagement with the hook 9, as indicated in the drawing. The hooked engagement of the linger 9 and free end of the arm 13 prevent an accidental disengagement of the same.

In applying my improved rail stay to a 1 rail, the head or member 10 is first placed in engagement with a side flange of the railbase with its outer end in abutment with the side of a tie toward which the rail is liable to creep and with the spring-arm 13 thereof projecting cross-wise under the rail-base. The clamping member 3 is then placed in diagonal relation across the base of the rail beneath the spring-arm 13, with the recess 5 of its head 4 in clamping engagement with one side flange of the rail base and with the part 6 at the opposite end thereof extending up at the opposite side of the rail-base, with its edge7 in contact therewith and with the side 8 thereof in thrust contact with the ends 1l of the head 10. The two members of the device having been placed together in this manner, the free end of the spring arm 13 is drawn outward and sprung into hooked engagement with the finger 9, as shown, thus yieldingly connecting the heads 4 and 10 to cause them to have oppo-sed gripping contact with the rail-base. Upon a creeping action of the rail 2 relative to the tie l with which the device has contact, the head 10 will have an end thrust movement against the part 6 of the clamping member so as to impart a twisting or slight pivotal movement to the member 3, with the head 4 thereof as the pivot, and cause a conse-V quent drawing of the head 4 into firm gripping engagement with the associated side of the rail-base and a forcing of the sharp edge 7 of the clamping part 6 into engagement with the other side edge of the rail base to eifecta rigid clamping of the device thereto. The tapering of the coacting surfaces 8 and 1l causes the head 10 to have an inward binding actionl against the rail base when the head l0 is forced against the part 6.

It is found in practice that this device is capable of being easily and quickly applied to a rail and is exceedingly efficient in its rail gripping action, and that a relative movement of an engaged rail and tie is effectually prevented thereby.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction or arrangement of the parts except in so far as such limitations are specified in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A device of the class described comprising a clamping member for extending under and having parts for clamping contact with opposite side edges of a rail-base, and a thrust member for engagement with one side edge of a rail-base and with a tie and having a part for thrust contact with one of the clamping parts of said clamping member and a part for extending cross-wise of a rail and releasably engaging a portion of the clamping member to retain the two members in engagement with a rail-base.

2. A device of the class described comprising two members for extending under a rail-base, said members having opposed railbase engaging parts and yieldingly separable connection for retaining the members in assembled relation, said members also having parts in thrust contact fo-r causing the members to have rail-base clamping action when one of said parts is movedtoward the other.

3. A device of the class described comprising a member for extending underand having clamping action with opposite side edges of a rail-base, and a tie thrust mem-- ber for engagement with a side edge of a rail-base and for thrust contact with a part of the clan'iping member to impart a twisting clamping action thereto relative to the rail when pressure is applied in one direction to said thrust member,'and means for extending'undera rail and separably connecting said members.

4. A device of the class described comprising a cross-bar adapted to be diagonally disposed with relation to the rail-base and having rail-base gripping parts at opposite ends thereof, a member for thrust cont-act Awith one of said clamping parts to impart a twisting movement to said cross-bar upon the application of pressure in one direction to said member, and yielding means for extending.

under a rail-base for separably connecting said member and the end portion of the cross-bar which is disposed at the opposite side of a rail-base thereto.

5. A device of the class described comprising a cross-bar for extending under a railbase and having a rail-base edge gripping recess at one end and a knife edge rail-base gripping part at its other end, a member for interposition between said part and a tie for Y A thrust contact with said part upon relative gripping movements of the tie and rail in one direction, and means for releasably connecting the recessed end of said cross-bar to said member. i

6. A device of the class described comprising a cross-bar having a rail-base clamping head at one end provided with a railbase edge receiving recess and having an upstanding part at its other end for engagement with the opposite side edge of a railbase, said part having a sharp rail-base gripping edge and a thrust surface which is obliquely disposed relative to an engaged rail axis, a thrust member for interposition between a tie and the thrust surface of said part, and means separably connecting said member to the head end of said cross-bar.

7 A device of the class described comprising a thrust member for engaging a side of a rail-base and an associated tie, said member having the end thereof beveled Which is opposite to its tie engaging end, an arm eX- tending from said member crosswise of an engaged rail, said arm being longitudinally yieldable, a cross-bar for extending under a rail in diagonal relation thereto and having a recessed rail-base gripping head at one end thereof and a knife edge rail base gripping part at its other end, said part having a thrust surface complemental to and in engagement With the beveled end of said thrust member and said clamping head having a part in releasable engagement With said arm to yieldingly connect said head and member.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to this specication in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JOSEPH M. VAIL.

Witnesses:

EDWARD GAUDRON, DENVER S. BURNS.

Copies ot this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commiuioner of Patents, Washington. D. C. 

